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The principles that rule this blog

Principles that will govern my thoughts as I express them here (from my opening statement):


  • Freedom of the individual should be as total as possible, limited only by the fact that nobody should be free to cause physical injury to another, or to deprive another person of his freedoms.
  • Government is necessary primarily to provide those services that private enterprise won't, or won't at a price that people can afford.
  • No person has a right to have his own beliefs on religious, moral, political, or other controversial issues imposed on others who do not share those beliefs.

I believe that Abraham Lincoln expressed it very well:

“The legitimate object of government is to do for a community of people whatever they need to have done, but cannot do, at all, or cannot
so well do, for themselves — in their separate, individual capacities.”


Comments will be invited, and I will attempt to reply to any comments that are offered in a serious and non-abusive manner. However, I will not tolerate abusive or profane language (my reasoning is that this is my blog, and so I can control it; I wouldn't interfere with your using such language on your own!)

If anyone finds an opinion that I express to be contrary to my principles, they are welcome to point this out. I hope that I can make a rational case for my comments. Because, in fact, one label I'll happily accept is rationalist.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Forget Chick-fil-A. Amazon (much bigger fish) takess a pro-gay-marriage stand

The state of Washington, like Maryland, is going to have a referendum on gay-marriage this year, as the bigoted religious Right tries to reverse a law passed by the State government. And Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, has just agreed to put in a contribution of $2,500,000 to help make the case that gay marriage should not be repealed in that State. He made this pledge in an e-mail to a former Amazon employee, Jennifer Cast, a lesbian mother of four children who is now a fundraising chairwoman of the pro-referendum effort.

Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, of Microsoft fame, have also weighed in, but Bezos' contribution is a lot bigger. Certainly, for Amazon's founder to put his money where his mouth is to such an extent matters.

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